A year after launching a group-wide initiative ‘Lanxess goes Asia’, the German chemicals company is now pushing further growth in the region with plans to double its production capacity for high-tech plastics, open a state-of-the-art polymer development lab and a rubber research centre, as well as making China one of the top five candidate locations for a new ion exchange facility.

Under the initiative, Lanxess’ Semi-Crystalline Products business unit, plans to bring a second production line into operation at its development centre for high-tech plastics In Wuxi, near Shanghai in the fourth quarter of 2007, thereby doubling production capacity; the company’s Technical Rubber Products business unit plans to set up a rubber research centre in Qingdao; and  Lanxess is currently analysing the Chinese locations of Nanjing and Ningbo as candidates for a new facility in Asia for producing ion exchange resins.